# Drink less alcohol Published by Pawel Jozefiak. [About this project](https://healthy100.jock.pl/about/), [How we check sources](https://healthy100.jock.pl/methodology/) - Canonical: https://healthy100.jock.pl/reduce-alcohol/ - Language: en - First published: 2026-09-27 - Evidence checked: 2026-09-28, using AI-assisted source verification - Clinical review: Not clinically reviewed - Number 4 of 100 in the list: https://healthy100.jock.pl/#reduce-alcohol Reducing alcohol lowers exposure to a cause of cancer, liver disease and dependence. **The number:** 2.6 million deaths worldwide attributed to alcohol in 2019 ([WHO, 2024](https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/alcohol)) ## The evidence - Evidence grade: A. Grade A: meta-analyses of randomised trials, or a major guideline consensus. - Basis: WHO causal risk assessment and current public health guidance; NHS withdrawal safety guidance - Impact: 88/100. The impact score is an editorial prioritization heuristic for the general list, not a validated estimate of your personal risk. ## Why it matters Alcohol and its breakdown products can damage the body, and even low consumption carries some risk. WHO attributed 2.6 million deaths worldwide in 2019 to alcohol, a population burden rather than an estimate of your personal risk. Less drinking means less exposure, and avoiding alcohol removes alcohol exposure entirely. ## How to do it 1. Track what you drink, including the size and strength of each serving. 2. Replace routine drinks with alcohol free alternatives. 3. If you are not dependent, plan days without alcohol and reduce the amount on drinking days. 4. Avoid alcohol during pregnancy; if you do not drink, there is no health reason to start. ## Talk to a clinician first If you have withdrawal symptoms or may be dependent, get clinical help before suddenly stopping alcohol. ## Putting it into practice ### Start now - 1 minute: Recall yesterday's drinks, including refills. Count the servings and notice any you normally leave out. - 5 minutes: Write down yesterday's drinks with sizes and strengths. If you may be dependent or get withdrawal symptoms, seek medical advice before cutting down. - 15 minutes: Review a week's drinking and contact an alcohol service if control or withdrawal is a concern. Otherwise, choose one regular drink to replace. - 30 minutes: Plan support for your drinking goal: identify difficult occasions, prepare alternatives and request clinical help if dependence is possible. ### What it looks like - Record your drink's size and alcohol strength, not just 'one glass'. - If you are not dependent, replace a routine drink with sparkling water. - If cutting down causes shaking or sweating, contact a clinician before reducing further. ### Common mistakes - Do not stop suddenly if you may be dependent: get medical help to reduce safely. - Do not treat a low risk drinking limit as risk free: less alcohol still means less exposure. ### A structured start **Start with an honest baseline** 1. Stage 1: Record drinking for a week; seek advice promptly if dependence or withdrawal is possible. 2. Stage 2: If you are not dependent, try one smaller serving or alcohol free replacement and plan days without alcohol. 3. Stage 3: Review what worked after a week and repeat; use professional support if reducing is difficult. ### Trusted how-to guides - [Drink less alcohol](https://www.nhs.uk/better-health/drink-less/), NHS Better Health - [Alcohol support](https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/alcohol-advice/alcohol-support/), NHS ## In Czechia In Czechia, the government's first report on alcohol says any dose, even one drink a day, carries risk, and no dose can be recommended as beneficial or considered safe. [Úřad vlády ČR](https://vlada.gov.cz/cz/ppov/protidrogova-politika/media/alkohol-_-dobry-sluha-nebo-zly-pan--prvni-vladni-zprava-o-alkoholu-v-ceske-republice--195338), checked 2026-09-28 ## In Germany In Germany, the German Nutrition Society (DGE) says there is no potentially health-promoting and safe amount of alcohol, and recommends not drinking alcohol. [Deutsche Gesellschaft für Ernährung](https://www.dge.de/wissenschaft/stellungnahmen-und-positionspapiere/positionen/alkohol/), checked 2026-09-28 ## In Spain In Spain, a Ministry of Health review concludes that low-risk drinking should sit at 20 g of alcohol a day for men and 10 g for women, assuming there is no zero risk. A Spanish standard drink is 10 g. It describes population levels, not advice to individuals. [Ministerio de Sanidad](https://www.sanidad.gob.es/areas/promocionPrevencion/alcohol/documentosTecnicos/docs/Limites_Consumo_Bajo_Riesgo_Alcohol_Revision_evidencia_cientifica.pdf), checked 2026-09-28 ## In Netherlands In the Netherlands, the Voedingscentrum advises not drinking alcohol, as there is no safe amount. A standard glass holds about 10 g of alcohol, and under-18s should not drink alcohol at all. [Voedingscentrum](https://www.voedingscentrum.nl/encyclopedie/alcohol.aspx), checked 2026-09-28 ## In Poland In Poland, the national patient portal says there is no risk-free amount of alcohol and no universal safe limit. It suggests a drinking diary and setting goals; addiction treatment clinics are on the KCPU map. [Pacjent.gov.pl](https://pacjent.gov.pl/aktualnosc/decyzja-mniej-alkoholu), checked 2026-09-28 ## In Ukraine In Ukraine, the Public Health Center counts a standard drink as about 10 g of pure alcohol, for example 330 ml of 4% beer or about 100 ml of 13% wine, and cites WHO that there is no safe level of drinking. [Центр громадського здоров’я МОЗ України](https://phc.org.ua/news/likuvannya-rozladiv-vzhivannya-alkogolyu), checked 2026-09-28 ## Sources - [Alcohol](https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/alcohol), WHO, 2024 (Tier 1 guideline) - [No level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health](https://www.who.int/europe/news/item/04-01-2023-no-level-of-alcohol-consumption-is-safe-for-our-health), WHO Europe, 2023 (Tier 1 guideline) - [Alcohol support](https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/alcohol-advice/alcohol-support/), NHS, 2026 (Tier 1 guideline) --- General health information, not a diagnosis or an individual treatment plan. Personalization changes the order of suggestions; it does not assess your medical risks. Follow the cautions and consult a qualified clinician when needed. Report an error: meet@jock.pl Reuse: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/